1846 print COPENHAGEN IN 17TH CENTURY, DENMARK (#16) |
Print from steel engraving titled Copenhague au XVIIe Siecle, published in a volume of L'Univers, Paris, approx. page size is 21.5 x 13 cm, approx. image size 17 x 10 cm, nice hand coloring.
Copenhagen
Danish København
capital and largest city of Denmark. It is located on the islands of Zealand
(Sjælland) and Amager, at the southern end of The Sound (Øresund).
A small village existed on the site of the present city by the early 10th
century. In 1167 Bishop Absalon of Roskilde built a castle on an islet off the
coast and fortified the town with ramparts and a moat. In 1445 Copenhagen was
made the capital of Denmark and the residence of the royal family. In the civil
and religious conflicts of the Protestant Reformation, the town was often
sacked. During the late 16th century Copenhagen's trade began to flourish, and
the city itself expanded. Among the new buildings erected were the Børsen
(Exchange), the Holmens Church, Trinitatis Church, with the adjacent famous
Round Tower, and the castle of Rosenborg (now the museum of the royal family).
During the wars with Sweden (1658–60) Copenhagen was besieged for two years.
Fires in 1728 and 1795 destroyed many houses and buildings, and in 1807 the city
was bombarded by the British. The ramparts were pulled down in 1856. Since then
the city has expanded still further and incorporated many of the adjacent
districts.
The heart of the city is the Rådhuspladsen (“Town Hall Square”). From the
square, an old crooked shopping street leads northeast to the former centre of
the city, Kongens Nytorv (“King's New Square”), laid out in the 17th century.
Buildings there include the Thott Palace (now the French Embassy) and the
Charlottenborg Palace (now the Royal Academy of Fine Arts), both of the 17th
century, and the Royal Theatre, built in 1874.
Located on the island of Slotsholmen (“Castle Islet”) is Christiansborg Palace,
built on the site of the old castle founded by Bishop Absalon in 1167. Since
1928 the palace has been occupied by Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the
Foreign Office. Nearby buildings house other government offices. Slotsholmen
also contains the Bertel Thorvaldsen Museum, the Royal Arsenal Museum, the state
archives, and the Royal Library. The Black Diamond, an extension of the library,
opened in 1999; a modern structure of steel and glass, it lies on the
waterfront.
Other important buildings include the Prinsens Palace, now the National Museum;
the Church of Our Lady; the University of Copenhagen, founded in 1479; the Petri
Church, used after 1585 as a parish church for the German residents of the city
and thoroughly restored (1994–2000); the 17th-century citadel; and the palace of
Amalienborg. The botanical gardens laid out in 1874 have an observatory with a
statue of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. A more modern attraction named in
honour of the 16th-century astronomer is the Tycho Brahe Planetarium, which
opened in 1989.
Additional popular sites are the Tivoli amusement park and the Ny Carlsberg
Glyptotek, with a fine collection of traditional and modern art. Located at
Langelinie Pier is the Little Mermaid statue (1913), which is based on a story
by Hans Christian Andersen. A Danish national symbol, it is one of the city's
most popular tourist attractions.
The old quarter of Christianshavn is on the harbour to the south. It contains
the 17th-century Church of Our Saviour. The western quarter contains the
Frederiksberg Park, with its palace and a zoological garden.
For much of the 20th century, Copenhagen and its surrounding areas contained
most of Denmark's manufacturing industry. By 2000, however, the city's economy
was dominated by public and private services, trade, finance, and education. A
number of arterial streets carry traffic toward the centre, across the harbour
bridges. There are electric railways (S-baner) for commuters and a network of
city bus lines. The last streetcars disappeared in 1972. In the late 1990s
construction began on a fully automated subway system in Copenhagen, and the
first line opened in 2002. In 2000 the Øresund Link, a combined
tunnel-and-bridge system connecting Copenhagen with Malmö, Sweden, opened. It
also serves Copenhagen Airport at Kastrup and supports cooperation and regional
growth on both sides of The Sound.
In addition to the University of Copenhagen, there are a number of other
institutions of higher education. These include the Technical University of
Denmark (1829), the Engineering Academy of Denmark (1957), the Royal Danish
Academy of Music (1867), the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College (1856),
and the Copenhagen School of Economics and Business Administration (1917). Pop.
(2008 est.) urban area, 509,861; mun., 1,153,781.